A trip to ... Museum Village
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1010 State Route 17M, Monroe, NY 10950
845-782-8248
845-782-8248 • museumvillage.org
Open April-November
Please visit our
website for specific hours and events.
With a trip to Museum Village, you can travel back in time without having to leave the Hudson Valley! This open-air historical museum re-creates life in the 19th century, complete with a blacksmith, candle shop, schoolhouse, and Harry, one of only three full mastodon skeletons in the whole world. You can spend an entire day living like your ancestors, and still make it home in time to cook a modern dinner.
Before you go:
Head to your local library and read up on what life in the nineteenth century and the changes the Industrial Revolution brought. Some recommended titles are:
• “So Far From Home: the Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl” by Barry Denenberg
• “The Peterkin Papers” by Lucretia P. Hale
• “Industrial Revolution: Age of Invention” by Nicolas Brasch
For your outing you will need:
Comfortable shoes and a sense of adventure.
Vocabulary to know while visiting:
• Industrial Revolution: The period of time from about 1760-1840 when machines began to make products, rather than hands
• Mastodon: A large, extinct mammal that lived about 10,000 years ago
• Primary source: A document, letter, newspaper, magazine, or diary/journal from a historical time period used to interpret and understand that time period. Photographs, film, paintings, music, and other objects can also be considered primary sources.
• Exhibit: A collection of objects or artifacts and images with written text explaining what they are and why they are important. Exhibits can also use lights, sounds, and even smells to help understand the subject.
• Artifact: A historical or period object used by people in the past. It can be an everyday item, something valuable, or even a piece of trash!
Learning in action:
Math and economics: Write up a shopping list for your household. Then take it to the Merritt Store and compare today’s prices to the prices in 1870.
Social studies: When checking out an artifact in the Natural History or another building, try to guess what the artifact was used for before you read the label. Then, try to figure out what modern invention replaced it.
Bring it home:
Make your own butter
You will need:
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• large bowl of ice water
• salt to taste (optional)
• a jar with a tight fitting lid
1. Pour a pint of heavy cream into the jar and shake vigorously. You will likely need to switch off shakers among family members. Continue shaking until the butter has solidified.
2. Once the butter has solidified, pour off the excess buttermilk (you can save it for baking — or drinking!)
3. Pour ice water over the butter and press the remaining buttermilk out with a spatula or spoon.
Keep rinsing and squishing the butter with the ice water until the water runs clear.
4. Add salt to taste and work it through the butter.
5. Spread over the snack of your choice and enjoy!
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